CDOB Youth Ministry - CDOB Youth Ministry

YM Raffle

abarrera12@gmail.com — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:00:26 +0000

The Office of Youth Ministry is in need of your support! Please help us make this raffle a successful endeavor. The viability of the summer programming (CYRP, YouthLeader, YouthServe, Summer Softball, etc) is contingent on securing outside funding.

CDOB Youth Ministry Raffle will be drawn on Sunday October 28, 2012. If your parish would like to participate in this as a fundraiser, contact me asap. We are also willing to go to parishes to sell after Sunday Masses. Just let us know when and where.

Thank you for supporting your parish and diocesan youth ministry!
The tickets are $2; $1 stays with your parish youth ministry and $1 supports diocesan youth ministry.

Prizes: Apple iPad 3; Acer Netbook; XBOX 360 Kinect; Nintendo Wii; Sony PS3;
$100 Giftcards to Barnes and Noble, Best Buy, Cinemark, iTunes, Pizza Hut and Starbucks

Please contact Angel Barrera at abarrera@cdob.org or 956.781.5323 to request tickets to sell or buy.

YM 101 FASTRACK!

abarrera12@gmail.com — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:02:44 +0000

In May, YM101 (Youth Ministry 101) completed its first run and we are happy to announce that 25 students successfully completed the course. The word spread quickly about our YM101 class! Unfortunately many couldn't commit to the spring semester course of 12 two-hour sessions. We recognized that a long semester course would be challenging to many, which is why we bring you YM101 in a fast track form this summer. That's right, we are having YM101 FASTRACK this summer AND in two locations!

Our Lady,Queen of Angels, La Joya: June 11-14, 2012
Our Lady of Mercy, Mercedes: June 18-21, 1012

Youth Ministry 101 FASTRACK is a 24-hour course and offered in four 6-hour sessions. Topics include: (1) Foundations for Youth Ministry, (2) Communities Nurturing Youth, (3) Promoting Personal and Spiritual Growth of Youth and (4) Planning and Leadership for Youth Ministry. Due to the accelerated pace, students are required to read the two texts before the first day of class.

Required Texts:
• Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Comprehensive Youth Ministry
• Leadership in Catholic Youth Ministry: a Comprehensive Resource

YM101 is part of our Diocesan YM Certificate in which we are offering to all youth minstry coordinators and youth ministers. The Diocesan YM Certificate is an introduction to comprehensive youth ministry. It requires the successful completion of Echoes of Faith and YM101. This course is required to continue to the National YM Certificate and National Certification.

For registration you can contact San Juan Diego Ministry Institute at 956-784-5011

For more information about YM101 and the Diocesan YM Certificate visit our website
http://cdobym.org/diocesan-ym-certificate.htm

YouthLeader: Peer Ministry Training

Monica — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Do you have high school youth in your parishes that are leaders or have the potentinal to be leaders? Do you wish you had a program to empower them in these type of position? Well, we have the pefect program for them this summer!

We are here to offer you a program from the Center for Ministry Development called YouthLeader. YouthLeader is a five-day youth leadership training program which consists of a team approach to Christian leadership formation for youth and adult leaders. YouthLeader focuses on helping young people learn skills, gain insight into Christian leadership, and connect their values to their leadership roles. YouthLeader employs a variety of learning methods such as presentations, media, experiences, simulations, role plays, discussion, and skills practice.This program serves as a launch pad for peer ministry in local parish youth ministry.

One of the greatest strengths of YouthLeader is the presence of adults from the parish or school who journey through the program with the young people. Young people return to their back-home setting, in the company of an adult or two who know what they learned and are aware of their gifts and strengths. Youth do not return to a community that is unaware of or unprepared for the leadership skills they have developed.

Who: High School students;15yrs or older
When: July 23-27, 2012
Where: Cone Oasis Cone Oasis Baptist Camp, La Feria,TX
How Much: $100 per person;this cost includes
program content, meals, and lodging

Parish/School teams who wish to participate in YouthLeader should fill out the Commitment Form. This form, plus a non-refundable deposit of $50 per person, will reserve space for your team at YouthLeader this summer. The deadline for this Commitment is Thursday May 31, 2012.

Upon receipt of your team’s Commitment Form, you are able to download the YouthLeader Registration Packet. This packet will contain Participant Registration Forms,Consent and Health Forms,Code of Behavior, Parent Information Sheet, Packing List,YouthLeader Schedule for each individual members of your team. Final registration and payment will be due Friday July 13, 2012. Please note that spaces are reserved on a first-come, first serve basis.

You will find all forms on our YouthLeader page.
For more information, please contact Monica Benitez at mbenitez@cdob.org or (956) 781-5323

Catholic Youth Renovation Project

abarrera12@gmail.com — Thu, 10 May 2012 01:15:00 +0000

We have another great summer experience for your youth this summer called Catholic Youth Renovation Project (CYRP). CYRP is sponsored by St.Paul’s Catholic Church and was established to help needy families in the Mission area.

This week-long project will be the most challenging week you will ever love and will never forget. A group of about 8-12 per team will be asked to perform such tasks as building walls, sheet rocking, contructing steps , hanging door, painting, etc. Those who join the project should come dedicated to participating and contributing fully this experience.

When? June 23-23 2012
Who can participate? Youth Must be entering their Freshman year of high
school or orlder and should be attending CCD and Sunday mass regularly
How much is it? The cost for each participant is $150. If this proves to be a financial burden and will be an obstacle for the youth's participation, there are scholarships avaliable. For more information about scholarships, please contact Joe Vela: (956) 240-3930.

A parish that is interested should form a team of about 8-12 members. That team is recommended to be composed of 2 adults, a male and female(leaders). Construction experience is very helpful. We also recomment that 1 or 2 young adults are on the team. 6-10 youth are recommended per team.

Each participant will be expected to follow a set of rules determined by the CYRP committee to keep them safe and focused on the task at hand.

A sample daily schedule is below:

For more information and recent forms click here on our CYRP page. . You can also call the Office of Youth Ministry at 956.781.5323 or email abarrera@cdob.org.

YouthServe : Adventure in Service

Monica — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:15:00 +0000

We are calling all who will be 7th and 8th graders who want some great adventure in service this summer! YouthServe is service learning program that gives an opportunity for fourty (40) youth from across the diocese to live, learn, pray and work in community with other Catholic youth and adults.

The youth will have an opportunity to experience hands-on service involving people and agencies that assist people in need locally. While deepening their understanding of the gospel call to discipleship and justice, they will explore Catholic social teaching and its application to life today. This opportunity will help them discover ways to continue their justice and service involvement as individuals, with their families, and with their parish or school groups.

I urge you to spread the word and have your youth participate in this amazing summer experience. Teams must include one adult for every five youth. The adult can be a youth minister, teacher, junior high catechist or involved parent. Only forty (40) students will be selected to attend. Please note that spaces are reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Who: 7th & 8th graders
When: Friday July 13- Saturday July 14,2012
Where: Franciscan Retreat House 2600 W Mile 7 Road Mission, Texas 78574
How much: $55 per person.

Parishes who wish for their youth to participate should fill out the Commitment Form. This form and a non-refundable deposit of $25 per person will reserve space for your team at YouthServe this summer. The deadline for this Commitment Form is Thursday May 31, 2012.

Upon receipt of your team’s Commitment Form, you are able to download the Parental & Guardian Consent Form & Liability Waiver and Code of Conduct. Final registration and payment will be due Friday June 27, 2012.

You can find all forms mentioned above here.

For more information you can contact Monica Benitez at Mbenitez@cdob.org or (956) 781-5323
.

Holy Week 2012

JD Larios — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:05:46 +0000

Earlier today I read an interesting post on via social media. It read “Happy Holy Week.” At first I thought to myself, “What an innocent yet ignorant comment!” How could we wish someone happiness during a week that is often (mis)treated as a time to remind us of the tragic and sorrowful events Christ’s suffering, passion, crucifixion and death. As I pondered this for all of 5 seconds it occurred to me that He DID rise on the third day! There is a redemptive and glorious hope in all of Christ’s suffering. There is a purpose and a motivation. That purpose was LOVE. It was love that brought the second person of Holy Trinity, Our Lord Jesus, from heaven to take human form. Love was the reason He showed up! It was His Love and willingness to live in the fullness of it that led him to death on a cross. I often hear the comment: “Jesus died for your sins,” and always wonder why we settle for this oversimplified summary of the Incarnation. Christ’s Incarnation was more than just a preamble to a bloody sacrifice on a cross. Make no mistake about this; Our God is a God of Love! It was his unrelenting love that explains “Salvation History.” It is this love that reaches out to us in the person of Jesus. This perfect love is what had St. Paul in a glorious high in his famous love discourse in the 13th chapter of his letter to the Corinthians. Jesus is that love he spoke of. It is eternal. It is what we really thirst for in this world of false advertising and soul searching. This love found no limit and led to a death on a cross and no amount of pain, torture or suffering… nothing, could hold back this love from reaching out to us. I don’t have the words to do it justice. Let’s turn to the compelling purpose and result of this love: The empty tomb. The tomb in which Jesus was laid to rest in after his death by Joseph of Arimathea was empty. As one of my students would say, “Oh- em- gee” The tomb was empty… what a thought!!!

Hmmm…Perhaps this is week that should be filled with BOTH sorrow AND joy:

CCC#1130
The Church celebrates the mystery of her Lord "until he comes," when God will be "everything to everyone."1Since the apostolic age the liturgy has been drawn toward its goal by the Spirit's groaning in the Church: Marana tha!2 The liturgy thus shares in Jesus' desire: "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you . . . until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."3 In the sacraments of Christ the Church already receives the guarantee of her inheritance and even now shares in everlasting life, while "awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus."4 The "Spirit and the Bride say, ‘come . . . Come, Lord Jesus!'"5

Let’s make a strong push to the finish line of Lent this Holy Week of 2012. It is a time to not just pray but act. Let’s seize this great opportunity to take Christ to those who don’t know Him or are far from Him. Simplicity may work best in this case.

The Corporal Works of Mercy are a great place to start:
Feed the Hungry
Give Drink to the Thirsty
Clothe the Naked
Shelter the Homeless
Visit the Sick
Visit the Imprisoned
Bury the Dead.

We are given an opportunity to repent as we near the Passion of our Lord. Remember the words that were spoken to us in Ash Wednesday: “Repent and Believe in the Gospel.” Speaking from personal experiences I have found a renewed devotion to receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A close friend of mine explained that Confession isn’t just a “spiritual antibiotic” we should take when we feel sick, but a necessary “vitamin” we should take regularly in order keep receiving grace and forgiveness from God. Think of it as a preventive and strengthening gift (given from God) in order to help us with the temptations of the enemy of our soul and from the disease of “self.”

This is a time of year to let the supernatural take hold. Let it take hold of our restless hearts. Let it take hold of our preoccupied minds. Allow yourself to enter into the mystery. I am not talking about the type of mystery we see in Sci-Fi TV shows or in theater screens or bestselling books and novels. The mystery I speak of is the Paschal Mystery….All of it. Christ’s Incarnation, ministry, passion, death and resurrection. Going to Mass is the perfect place to encounter the Living God in this mystery. Just listen to the words carefully. Try it.

There is no greater time in the year to embrace the fullness of this mystery. There is no greater time to be a part of this wonderful family we call our Catholic Church. As we begin this week every diocese will bless the holy oils of the Church. You can read about our Catholic Diocese of Brownsville’s Chrism Mass here: http://www.cdob.org/frontpage-news-items/438-chrism-mass
And you can listen to the leader of our diocese, his Excellency, Bishop Daniel E. Flores’ Homily at: http://www.cdob.org/communications/audio/446-chrism-mass-2012

Our church leaders… priest, deacons and religious will renew their vows to serve their bride and our mother Church. Maybe we should do the same. This is the time to focus on Jesus. I will echo what was mentioned by Bishop Flores in the aforementioned audio clip: We share in Jesus’ anointing. To be a “Christian” is not just to be a follower but to also be “anointed” into his mission, passion and resurrection. God loves us that much! He has given us the Sacraments as a perfect meeting place with Him and as an enduring sign of that love. Seize this moment. There’s no better time than the present. We have three days of majesty. Let us pray that we can embrace every second of it.

St. Thomas sums up the various aspects of sacramental signs: "Therefore a sacrament is a sign that commemorates what precedes it—Christ's Passion; demonstrates what is accomplished in us through Christ's Passion—grace; and prefigures what that Passion pledges to us—future glory." - St. Thomas Aquinas, STh III, 60, 3.

May the sorrowful passion found in the cross of Jesus, the hope we encounter in the empty tomb and the promise of being united to His Glorious resurrection be at the center of our life always and not just these days to follow.

I pray this Holy Week and all it encompasses will find you and yours blessed.

Summer Softball: Batter up...

Angel Barrera — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:01:00 +0000

We are quickly approaching summer and consequently....Summer Softball! The long afternoons of practicing and playing ball with your youth are just around the corner.

This year we are looking at developing the quality of the summer softball experience. We have met with many CYO coaches and coordinators from across the country to incorporate and further develop the Catholic identity of the league. I think everyone is in store for a great time!

We are still playing within three divisions: Middle School (6th-8th grade); High School (9th-12th grade); and the Adults (18+). Please note, the Office of Youth Ministry is coordinating the Middle School and High School divisions. The Adult division will be coordinated by Joe Vela and Jorge Chapa.

If you are interested in having a team play this year, please make plans to attend one of the two informational meetings on at 7pm Tuesday April 10, 2012 or 7pm Thursday April 12, 2012 at the San Juan Pastoral Center. These meetings will serve to further explain what you can look forward to this summer. Forms and other relevant documents will be made available at the meeting. If you have specific questions, please feel free to email me at abarrera@cdob.org.

FYI, the Summer Softball Games are scheduled as follows:

Sunday July 1, 2012
Sunday July 8, 2012
Sunday July 15, 2012
Sunday July 22, 2012
Sunday July 29, 2012

The softball games will be played at:
Mission Sports Complex
3930 Plantation Grove Blvd
Mission, TX 78503

Rummaging for God

Monica — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:59:00 +0000

“How do we hear the voice of God?” There are at least four answers that our Christian tradition teaches us. First, perceiving the divine in what God has made in creation itself. Second, we hear God in the scriptures, which we even call it the “the word of God”. Third, we hear God in the teaching of the church, the living tradition of our believing community. Finally we hear God by our own experiences and our interpretations of all the above.

Dennis Hamm SJ writes:
The phrase, “If today you hear his voice,” implies that the divine voice must somehow be accessible in our daily experience, for we are creatures who live one day at a time. If God wants to communicate with us, it has to happen in the course of a 24-hour day, for we live in no other time. And how do we go about this kind of listening? Long tradition has provided a helpful tool, which we call the “examination of consciousness” today. “Rummaging for God” is an expression that suggests going through a drawer full of stuff, feeling around, looking for something that you are sure must be in there somewhere. I think that image catches some of the feel of what is classically known in church language as the prayer of “examen.”

Rummaging for God is a great expression! I believe at times we all go through our day hustling and working hard then go home and thats it. Some maybe even believe that God is just at church on Sundays but in reality is all around us. We all need that time to step back and analyze our day and become aware where God was in the different aspects of our lives. What is God showing you today?

The Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and discern his direction for us. The Examen is an ancient practice in the Church that can help us see God’s hand at work in our whole experience. The method presented here is adapted from a technique described by Ignatius Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises. St. Ignatius thought that the Examen was a gift that came directly from God, and that God wanted it to be shared as widely as possible.

Dennis Hamm,SJ gives us a way of doing the examen that works for him. It puts a special emphasis on feelings, for reasons that I hope will become apparent.

A Method: Five Steps

1. Pray for light. Since we are not simply daydreaming or reminiscing but rather looking for some sense of how the Spirit of God is leading us, it only makes sense to pray for some illumination. The goal is not simply memory but graced understanding. That’s a gift from God devoutly to be begged. “Lord, help me understand this blooming, buzzing confusion.”

2. Review the day in thanksgiving. Note how different this is from looking immediately for your sins. Nobody likes to poke around in the memory bank to uncover smallness, weakness, lack of generosity. But everybody likes beautiful gifts, and that is precisely what the past 24 hours contain–gifts of existence, work, relationships, food, challenges. Gratitude is the foundation of our whole relationship with God. So use whatever cues help you to walk through the day from the moment of awakening–even the dreams you recall upon awakening. Walk through the past 24 hours, from hour to hour, from place to place, task to task, person to person, thanking the Lord for every gift you encounter.

3. Review the feelings that surface in the replay of the day. Our feelings, positive and negative, the painful and the pleasing, are clear signals of where the action was during the day. Simply pay attention to any and all of those feelings as they surface, the whole range: delight, boredom, fear, anticipation, resentment, anger, peace, contentment, impatience, desire, hope, regret, shame, uncertainty, compassion, disgust, gratitude, pride, rage, doubt, confidence, admiration, shyness–whatever was there. Some of us may be hesitant to focus on feelings in this over-psychologized age, but I believe that these feelings are the liveliest index to what is happening in our lives. This leads us to the fourth moment:

4. Choose one of those feelings (positive or negative) and pray from it. That is, choose the remembered feeling that most caught your attention. The feeling is a sign that something important was going on. Now simply express spontaneously the prayer that surfaces as you attend to the source of the feeling–praise, petition, contrition, cry for help or healing, whatever.
5. Look toward tomorrow. Using your appointment calendar if that helps, face your immediate future. What feelings surface as you look at the tasks, meetings, and appointments that face you? Fear? Delighted anticipation? Self-doubt? Temptation to procrastinate? Zestful planning? Regret? Weakness? Whatever it is, turn it into prayer–for help, for healing, whatever comes spontaneously. To round off the examen, say the Lord’s Prayer.

***

For more about the article I was relfecting on click here.

New Beginnings!

Angel Barrera — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:23:00 +0000

With the New Year come many new beginnings! Youth Ministry is no exception. We are excited to share with you the many opportunities that exist for your parish to become a more vibrant and youth-friendly faith community. We realize many parishes have the beginnings of a comprehensive youth ministry and need some direction or assistance to becoming fully realized. After having met with many parish leaders and pastors, we have identified certain common needs:
1) assistance with pastoral planning for youth ministry, 2) consistent and relevant youth ministry training and 3) prayer for our youth.The Office of Youth Ministry will be offering the following services and many more to help address these needs.

VITAL 3.0

VITAL 3.0 is a two-year, strategic process for cultivating an impacting, disciple-making parish and youth ministry. VITAL 3.0 goes beyond second generational comprehensive youth ministry to third generational youth ministry by building an intergenerational, parish culture that grows teen disciples.

It will consistent of eight skill and application basedtraining sessions for yourentire parish youth ministry team. The training session will be led by Frank Mercadante from Cultivation Ministries. It is important that each parish identify their youth ministry team to participate in this process. The first session is intended only for the youth ministry coordinator and will take place on Saturday March 24, 2012. The following seven sessions will be intended for entire parish youth ministry teams.

YM Certification

Another great training opportunity is the new youth ministry certification program that has been developed with the San Juan Diego Ministry Institute. This program consists of three levels of certification: 1) youth ministry catechists/animators, 2) youth ministry leaders and 3) youth ministry coordinators. The level 1 youth ministry course will begin to be offered January 2012. The 12-session course will be offered in San Juan on Mondays and Brownsville on Thursdays. For more information, please call the San Juan Diego Ministry Institute at 956.784.5011.

Prayer Campaign

Join us in prayer for our youth! The feast day of St. John Bosco, the patron saint of youth, is on Tuesday January 31, 2012. We invite parishes to participate in the diocesan wide prayer campaign for the youth in your communities. We are privileged to have a relic of St. John Bosco to travel throughout the diocese to strengthen and remind the faithful of our commitment and responsibility of leading our teens to Christ. Starting Monday January 23, 2012, a prayer service with the relic of St. John Bosco will be held at one parish in each of the 8 deaneries leading up to the feast day at Our Lady of San Juan del Valle Shrine in San Juan, TX.

For more information about any of these services, please call the Office of Youth Ministry at 956.781.5323 or email abarrera@cdob.org. Visit us online for the most current information: www.CDOBYM.org

Where's Joseph?

Monica Benitez — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:41:00 +0000

Christmas cards usually fall into three categories: the secular(store bough with snowlfakes,santa and etc.) card, the family card (everyone dressed up in their sundays best),and the religious card. The religious card which usually portrays the Virgin Mary gazing at the crib of her newborn son, Jesus. Some have them with all the shepherds, animals, maybe even the three wise men.

But where's St. Joseph? Where is the man to whom, according to the Gospel of Matthew, an angel announced the birth of Jesus? Where is the guy who married Mary even though she was already "with child," the man who helped to raise Jesus, the carpenter who taught Jesus his craft?(Martin)

Most of Joseph’s life goes unmentioned in the Gospels, but oh did he have a very important role-- raise the son of God. Through Jesus’ first years and probably through young adulthood, he learned most of what he knew about the Jewish faith from his mother and father. Joseph as a carpenter, had many life lessons and virtues he can teach Jesus. Jesus learned the virtues of patience, hard work, and creativity from Joseph while working alongside him in the capentry shop. These virtues were very much put into good use in Jesus’ ministry in later years. Joseph can also represent the holiness of the “hidden life,” doing meaningful things without fanfare.

The latter part of the Christmas story, where the holy family fleed from King Herod. Joseph was the one responsible for protecting Mary and her son in extreme condition. Joseph can be seen to people “how to follow God through difficult times.”

We should look up to Joseph and give him the reverence he deserves in the Christmas story.
Remember him in the songs that only talk about Mary and infant Jesus, as a “model” and human example of following God through the difficult times to fathers and to all believers.

> http://www.slate.com/articles/life/faithbased/2008/12/the_hidden_man_of_christmas.2.html

Advent 2011: Rethinking the Waiting Game

JD Larios — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:35:00 +0000

It's that time of year again! This is the season where a certain air of energy and excitement surrounds us. Could it be more than just a feeling? Some of us are looking forward to spending time together with family and loved ones and others are just happy that the weather has gotten a nice and cool for a change; while others like myself are imagining all the delicious and sweet opportunities to put on some nice holiday weight when gathered around the table trying to choose between mom's buñuelos or another pair of tamales!

This truly is an exciting time! Many of us Catholics will often hear that the season of Advent is about waiting for the birth of Christ. It is much more than simply waiting for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ but also waiting and preparing ourselves.

“There's nothing wrong with pre-Christmas preparations. But it's important to balance the sacred part of the Advent season with all of the other things you are doing. If you don't make time for quiet reflection, prayer and conversion of heart, you will find yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted by Christmas Day. Your Christmas celebration will look perfect on the surface, but will feel spiritually unsatisfying. You will have a hard time experiencing the joy and peace that the Babe in Bethlehem brings.”

The Definitive Guide to Advent and Christmas http://www.osv.com/OSV4MeNav/ChurchSeasons/AdventResources/DefinitiveGuidetoAdvent/tabid/7301/Default.aspx

This Sunday I heard something very interesting in the homily about how we must not be passive in our "preparation" for Christmas. WE MUST BE PROACTIVE IN MEETING JESUS EVERYDAY and not just on December 25th. Perhaps it would be good to remember the theological relevance that Jesus was born ONCE and for all. Christmas is simply the day we celebrate and remember this epic event. The Advent season isn’t as much about waiting for Him to come to us as much as it is about our longing for and moving towards Him. We do this by meeting Him sacramentally, in the Eucharist and in communion with our brothers and sisters. All of them. Not just the ones we like. Eventually we see that this is not just a necessity or obligation but a PRIVILEGE. Just as it is a privilege to be surrounded by wonderful friends, family and youth so it must also be a great privilege to encounter Baby Jesus in deed and in the flesh.

We keep hearing how this "Holiday" season is more than just shopping, decorating, and planning. Enter the story... Bring your kids and students with you. Let's travel with the wise men and journey together instead of simply waiting. Need a good place to start? Here's a great place to get some ideas:

http://www.osv.com/OSV4MeNav/ChurchSeasons/AdventResources/AdventActivities/FamilyAdventGuide/tabid/8497/Default.aspx

Here's one of my favorites if you or your kids prefer videos like me. This one comes courtesy of our friends at Life Teen. This is unlike any Advent calendar you've seen before and also a lot of fun: http://lifeteen.com/adventcalendar/

Every day you can come back to see a new video with Kemi Ndolo, bassist for Matt Maher, and Derek Natzke, Life Teen’s video producer!

Remember to keep in mind that Advent isn't just a season but a GIFT! Will you seek out and embrace it?

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10)

Blessings in Christ thru Mary Our Mother.

Go SAINTS!!

Monica Benitez — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:23:00 +0000

No, this isn't about the New Orleans Saints, but it's the background of All Saint's Day--the more important saints! All Saints' Day is a celebration of all Christian saints. is also known as All Hallows Tide, All-Hallomas, or All Hallows' Day.

Every day in the Church calendar has a saint day, but the Solemnity of All Saints is when the Church honors all saints, known and unknown. This is much like the American holidays Veterans Day and Presidents Day, where many people are honored on one day. While we have information about many saints, and we honor them on specific days, there are many unknown or unsung saints. Saints who may have been forgotten, or never been specifically honored.

On All Saints Day, we celebrate these saints of the Lord, and ask for their prayers and intercessions. The whole idea of All Saints Day is tied in with the concept of the Communion of Saints. This is the belief that all of God's people, on heaven, earth, and in the state of purification are connected in a communion. In other words, Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe that the saints of God are just as alive as you and I, and are constantly interceding on our behalf. Our connection with the saints in heaven is one grounded in a tight-knit communion. The saints are not divine, nor omnipresent or omniscient. However, because of our common communion with and through Jesus Christ, our prayers are joined with the heavenly community of Christians. (ChurchYear)

What do people do?

All Saints' Day is observed by Christians in many countries around the world. In countries such as Spain, Portugal and Mexico, offerings are made on this day. In countries such as Belgium, Hungary and Italy people bring flowers to the graves of dead relatives. In other parts of Europe, it is customary to light candles on top of visiting graves of deceased relatives. It is also observed in parts of Asia, such as the Philippines, where people visit graves of deceased relatives and clean or repair them. They also lay flowers on the graves and light candles.

In France church services in memory of all the saints are held on November 1 but by the evening the focus turns towards the dead. Cemeteries everywhere are crowded with people who come to clean and decorate family graves.(Timeanddate)

All Saints' Day is closely tied with All Souls' Day, held on November 2, which is dedicated to prayers of the dead who are not yet glorified.

A prayer for All Saints: “The work of your hands is manifest in your saints, the beauty of your truth is reflected in their faith. May we who aspire to have part in their joy be filled with the spirit that blessed their lives, so that having shared their faith on earth may we also know their peace in your kingdom.”

Que Es Eso?

Monica Benitez — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:05:00 +0000

On September 17,2011, catechists throughout the Diocese of Brownsville gathered together for the annual Catechetical Convocation. This annual event is a time to prepare for a new year of catechesis. There is also an exciting new change they are preparing for as well—the new translation of the Roman Missal. Exhibitors set up their tables with information, resources, and religious items for sale while the catechists began arriving to browse the different exhibits. The event started with a Mass presided by our very own Bishop Flores. During his homily, Bishop Flores spoke about the different ways you can say “Que es eso”—“What is this”. When you hear your mothers voice say, “Que es eso!”—you know you’re in trouble. The tone of voice is how you can distinguish whether it’s a question or statement.

As Catholics, we should be asking “Que es eso?” When we are asking, it’s because we want to know why,where,what and etc. We shouldn’t be afraid to ask. The theme of the convocation, Do This in Memory in Me, flowed perfectly with Bishop Flores’s homily because of the changes we will be seeing with the new translation of the Roman Missal in early October.

So, what is this new change that’s going on?

I’m glad you asked! First off, the Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. The new changes is not a new mass, but yet simply a new translation of the Missal. In 2000, Pope John Paul II announced the new edition of the Missale Romanum, the Latin Roman Missal. The new missal has added features: prayers for the celebration of recently canonized saints, additional prefaces for the Eucharistic Prayers, additional Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Intentions, and some updated and revised rubrics (instructions) for the celebration of the Mass.

The Roman Missal will be implemented in the United States of America on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011. In October, the parishes will begin transitioning into the new text.

”The entire Church in the United States has been blessed with this opportunity to deepen its understanding of the Sacred Liturgy, and to appreciate its meaning and importance in our lives. Now is the time to seize the opportunity given to us for all Catholics in the United States to deepen, nurture, and celebrate our faith through the renewal of our worship and the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy.” (USCCB)

If you are looking for some great ideas and resources for teaching youth about the new translation, click below.

Resources for Youth of the New translation Roman Missal

Catechetical Convocation: "Do This In Memory Of Me"

abarrera12@gmail.com — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:31:00 +0000

Because catechesis is a component of comprehensive youth ministry, all youth ministers are catechists as well. This may come as a suprise to some. Nonetheless, we are working to prepare ourselves for a great year of ministry with our young people.

One of the largest gatherings of lay ecclesian ministers in the diocese is the annual Catechetical Convocation. This year it will be at the McAllen Convention Center on Saturday September 17, 2011. The Catechetical Convocation is usually held on the Saturday before Catechetical Sunday.

Materials for Catechetical Sunday 2011 are available online in English and Spanish at www.usccb.org/catecheticalsunday/. Catechetical Sunday 2011 is September 18, and its theme is “Do This in Memory of Me.”

Materials available for free online include a reflection on the Eucharist, two catechist/teacher inservices, teaching aids on the Eucharist and Mass, bulletin inserts, family resources and an intergenerational retreat. The Catechetical Sunday website also includes numerous articles in English and Spanish and the document, “Happy Are Those Who Are Called to His Supper: On Preparing to Receive Christ Worthily in the Eucharist,” by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

WYD 2011: "Planted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith"

abarrera12@gmail.com — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:14:00 +0000

WYD 2011 is just around the corner! Many groups are already on there way to Europe to begin their pretrip. If you won't be physically traveling to WYD, consider creating an avatar and participating in the Virtual WYD! Click here for more info.

Please pray for all the WYD pilgrims, especially those from the our diocese. Know that you are in our prayers!